XboxEra's Reviews
After a tumultuous dev cycle, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 shines despite some rough edges.
Mindcop is a great detective adventure that puts emphasis on creativity and critical thinking for the player to find the perpetrator. The tools you’re given are adequate for its open-ended approach to game design, and ultimately, it’s up to you to help Mindcop uphold his reputation against a townspeople who carry plenty of baggage. ∎
Rise of the Golden Idol is a fantastic game. It is a brilliant 10-15 hour affair that focuses on your mind instead of your reflexes. While it’s best with a mouse, I wholeheartedly recommend it no matter where you’re playing. It has a thoroughly ridiculous and satisfying story and is a worthy sequel to one of 2022’s best games.
Toy Tactics is deceptively simple yet a lot of fun. It’s got the charm of toys clashing about as environments, spells, and the right tactics change the course of the game. And all the while offering varied objectives, great level design, and quite a number of modes for play. If you’re in the market for a unique real-time strategy game, look no further than Kraken Empire’s latest hotness. ∎
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival keeps to its core tenants by offering a simple yet fun rhythm game for all to enjoy. This is the ultimate package, so to speak, and I can easily recommend it to just about everyone.
This type of game has a ceiling it can normally hit. It’s a lower-budget genre-bending revival of a beloved but older IP. Leikir Studio has managed to find an excellent blend of old and new. While it can be insanely difficult on hard, it’s just the right amount of punishing on normal.
Slitterhead has a weirdly intriguing plot and cool art design wasted by endless repetition and outdated game design. There’s something here, and I found Slitterhead pulling me in during the first few hours. It was the last 80% of the game that was a dreadful experience.
SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS is a good collection of two fun games. Sonic Generations is still a solid romp even if this port adds more issues to the game while Shadow’s offering is action-packed and builds on the former’s strengths. This is the most you’ll ever get of Shadow the Hedgehog for quite a while, so dig in while it’s hot. ∎
Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn’t just in my Game of the Year rankings, it’s in my Best Games of All Time. BioWare has finally matched their recent excellent third-person combat with some of, if not their best, story work to date. This game is an absolute triumph for those old and new to the series.
Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut is a fantastic visual novel with excellent production values and a lot of dialogue options. You’ll go through a tonne of emotions (mostly unease), but you’ll always remain engaged thanks to a great voice cast and a script that is more than happy to explore uncomfortable ideas. ∎
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's campaign is fantastic, and a welcome return to form. Tons of level variety and a good enough story make this my favorite one since 2019's Modern Warfare reboot.
It lacks the depth or variety of most Monster Truck games on console, and in particular the lack of any race modes is a bit disappointing, but the focus on younger audiences and a forgiving difficulty should make for a decent Hot Wheels experience, for those that seek such a game. The lack of almost any multiplayer, aside from the 2-player local play is a big bummer for the longevity of the game, but if you want an enjoyable solo romp to run through, it’s a good time.
Shin-chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is a fantastic adventure game in that it is laid back, funny, and easy enough to be enjoyed by just about everyone be they child or senior. You might not know who Shin-chan is, but don’t let that stop you from taking it easy and looking up once in a while. ∎
Alan Wake: The Lake House is a disappointing finale to the game’s content. It was released alongside a solid quality-of-life update, and if you have already spent the extra money on the Deluxe Edition/Upgrade then you might as well check this one out. Just use a guide to keep frustration down.
Card-en-Ciel is a fantastic card battling title. I didn’t think I’d find myself so enamoured in playing a card game like this, but the plays at hand along with how the overworld plays into the battle system along with daily and weekly battles makes this game a extremely replayable title. ∎
RetroRealms Double Feature – Halloween and Ash vs the Evil Dead is a long title for a surprisingly long game. It looks beautiful and has some great midi-style music, but is let down by a gameplay loop that simply doesn’t hold up. At $25 per title, it's also a big ask monetarily if you want to see all eight campaigns.
enjoyed the first videogame of the Unknown 9 universe, and I sure hope it won't be the last, as I wanna keep going back to this vast fictional world.
With such a strong focus on narrative, and a simplification of the more sim-like elements, it may leave die-hard BattleTech fans feeling a bit let down with a far more arcade-like MechWarrior game then perhaps they wanted. The accessibility and approachability of MechWarrior 5: Clans then, may come at a cost – at least for now. It may just however, lead to a mainstream rejuvenation the series so sorely deserves, and with its launch into Xbox Game Pass, bring a whole new generation into our Sibko. If there’s any developer that deserves to continue that charge into the 32nd Century, it’s Piranha Games.
Despite feeling somewhat like well-trod narrative ground, Neva is a beautiful game, skilfully made with a lot of heart. The bond it fosters between you and your canine companion cannot be understated, and is likened to that of a parent and child. Alba becomes the parent figure, and the protector during Neva‘s youth. As Neva grows, it is Alba now, who must be protected and cared for. We can only hope to have passed on what we learn to our children, in the hope that they will do a better job than we did. Fans of the genre are unlikely to find a better game this year than this. Now I’m off to have a good cry and hug my kids.
The addition of 2-player modes and various improvements make a lot of sense, and do improve the Aaero formula a good bunch, but at the end of the day it’s hardly a hugely transformative sequel. Still, I fail to see that as a devastating flaw. Aaero2 brings us more awesome tracks to ride rails and shoot alien creatures on to the beat of the rhythm. Sure, it could have been a slightly more ambitious sequel in terms of game mechanics, progression and variety. Yet, even so, Aaero2 is one of the most interesting music-based games in recent memory, one that will have my grinding rails while banging my head back and forth for quite some time.